If the preseason foreshadows the next 18 weeks, Kenny Pickett will be pretty good, and Jerome Bettis knows it.
“I really believe he has the potential to be a superstar. I think if he develops the way he has been and continues to, I think the sky is the limit for this football team because I think we have some special players all over the football field,” Bettis told WTAE.
Buy Steelers TicketsThough he’s now a spectator, he was a pro at watching a rookie grow after Ben Roethlisberger was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2004. He witnessed his ups and downs and everything he went through to improve his game — a process that Pickett started in earnest this offseason.
Kenny Pickett’s Growth Process
He worked tirelessly with personal quarterbacks coach Tony Racioppi to improve technique and learn from past mistakes. He put as much work in on the field throwing as he did in the film room studying.
“He watched every incompletion he threw last year and took notes on it,” Racioppi told Matt Lombardo of FanBuzz.
#SteelersCamp isn't until late July but #Steelers QB Kenny Pickett is busy at work with guru Tony Racioppi.
📽️ (@Tonyrazz03)#SteelersNation #HereWeGo #TheSteelers #H2Ppic.twitter.com/sG8NWSAoVn
— Black and Gold Nation (@B_GNation1) June 20, 2023
In his first 13 games, Pickett threw 144 incompletions and nine interceptions. He meticulously studied each to make that ever-important second-year leap.
“He was looking for themes,” said Racioppi. “Every time I have to climb the pocket and look for a second-level throw, do I sail the ball? Is there a common thing? Are there five or six of those? That’s how you start your program. … Let’s fix the issues I had last year from a fundamental standpoint.”
From the preseason look of things, it’s worked like a charm. Pickett went 13-of-15 for 199 yards for a perfect passer rating of 158.3 in five drives. The performance has even the national media hyped about what’s to come this season, with many tabbing him as a top candidate for a breakout season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers kick it off on September 10 when they host the San Fransisco 49ers.
